Installation of loudspeakers into panels, especially ceiling panels, presents unique challenges, especially in obtaining the desired balance between speed of installation and security of installation. Significantly, ceiling speaker installation in larger buildings can involve a thousand or more ceiling speakers, and the time it takes to install one ceiling speaker, multiplied a thousand times, becomes a noticeable factor in labor costs. A general class of devices used for ceiling speaker installation are “flip out dog legs” which clamp, or dog, a peripheral portion of ceiling panel between an annular flange and at least two dogs which are mounted peripherally around the speaker enclosure. Flip out dog legs are also known as “flip dogs”. Flip dogs are initially stowed within the outer circumference of the hole in the ceiling panel in which the loudspeaker enclosure is to be mounted. In conventional operation, a screw device is used to “flip” the dog into a radially aligned position and lower the dog to the clamping position, requiring a screw driver for installation, usually a powered screw driver.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,286,749 discloses flip dogs that are screw-driven to deployment and combine the lowering action with the downward travel of the dog. Dismounting can be achieved by reversing the screw to exploit a vertical spring bias. U.S. Pat. No. 7,780,135 discloses screw-driven, vertical spring biased flip dogs of a different design, but similar functionality. US published patent application 20070121988 discloses yet another design for screw-driven, vertically spring-biased dogs.
US Pre-grant Publication US 20140305734 A1 made a step forward by creating a flip dog that did not need a tool for activation and taught a reed spring for a biasing mechanism for biasing the ratchet teeth between the flip dog and a supporting wall for the flip dog. Subsequent investigation has found that the spring may fatigue over time, resulting in undesirable disengagement of the flip dogs.
Therefore, a need exists for a flip dog mountable ceiling speaker enclosure that does not require tools for activating the flip dogs. In addition, there is a need for a flip dog mountable ceiling speaker enclosure that does not depend on the long-term viability of a biasing mechanism. In addition, there is a need for a flip dog mountable ceiling speaker enclosure that can be more rapidly installed. There is also a need for a flip dog mountable ceiling speaker enclosure that can be fitted with a speaker by the user. There is also a need for a flip dog mountable ceiling speaker enclosure that can be dismounted. There is also a need for a flip dog mountable ceiling speaker enclosure in which all flip dogs on the flip dog mountable ceiling speaker enclosure can be deployed simultaneously.